Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Dendler starts this intriguing YA novel with careful worldbuilding, constructing the rigid, unyielding environment that both Poppy and Marigold inhabit—an environment defined by strict rules put in place to keep the Orange and Blue territories rigorously separated. That attention to detail slows the plot somewhat in the beginning, but it quickly picks up and holds attention.
Prose: The story's tone and voice are mature and well-developed, light on intense descriptors and delivered with compact prose that fits the intended audience.
Originality: Readers will find this story incredibly relevant, with rich parallels that can be drawn between Poppy and Marigold's troubles and society's broader treatment of prejudice and discrimination.
Character/Execution: Poppy and Marigold are clearly distinct from each other, but their growth slows as the novel progresses. Most intriguing is Poppy's interior struggles with her choices after meeting Marigold, as she both berates herself for being "an Orange sympathizer" and comes to a painstaking realization that her world has been built on lies.
Date Submitted: June 24, 2024
